Brush with the law thread

[BetterOffShred]

Red light camera tickets are the birth of skynet man. They say an actual traffic officer examines each one, but obviously not. I just get really freaked out when I see stuff like this becoming automated. I saw a police cruiser going through a grocery store parking lot the other day with the license plate scanners hanging off the side, scanning for warrants. It's just a slippery slope you know? Get people used to a robot sending you tickets and it won't be such an outrage when the police-bots come the fuck in and retina scan everyone like in minority report. It's not even like the automated tickets are making the streets safer, it's just a straight up money extraction device.

[codetocontra]

You forgot to mention how people are paying money for products that are essentially wiretapping their own homes. Have we learned nothing from science fiction?

[Achtane]

In August I got hit by a speed trap in Bluff City, Tennessee. Which is not a city, but a shitty little town of 1000; it's only a city in that area if there are at least three dollar stores and I only spotted one.

Anyway, the speed limit on the highway was 55, and it suddenly dropped down to 45 for about a mile. I didn't see any signs posted otherwise, but the crazy bright UFO abduction light hit me at 10 PM going 60 in a 45.

A month later I got a ticket in the mail amounting to $50. If I wanted to contest it, I'd have to show up in person, and if it was upheld they'd fine me an extra $100.
I googled it and found an article written by the state representative of TN explaining that the speed trap tickets are total bullshit, won't harm your credit or record and can't result in collections coming after you, so his advice was to throw it away. There was a video showing him burning one.

So I tossed it. In September I got a "delinquent notice" and it's been silent since.

Fuck you, Bluff Shitty.

[Achtane]

The town has a police department.[10] On January 1, 2010 the department installed a speed camera on US Highway 11E that reportedly issued 1,662 tickets in its first six months. The town splits the revenue with the operator of the camera.[11] In 2014, the town expected to gain less than $100,000 from the cameras.[12] However the town's budget for FY 2017 reports expected "Speed Cameras" revenue of $600,000. This represents the largest single income line item for the city at 35% of total operating revenue.

In 2010, Gray City Tennessee resident Brian McCrary bought the former police department website after police failed to renew it. He used it to post information about fighting camera tickets. Police, lacking education on website matters, assumed they had been hacked. Negotiations to regain control of the domain name were unsuccessful.

[BetterOffShred]

Yeah camera tickets are actually pretty shady the more you look into them. Some states have really robust laws and they can bend you over pretty hard. In Washington they don't take a picture of the drivers face so you just send in an affidavit saying you weren't driving. And yeah, they are a parking ticket here basically and they can't even go after your credit. They can however prevent you from renewing your tabs.

My ticket is actually in my ex wife's name because she hasn't transferred the title to me yet. So technically she wasn't driving so she mailed the affidavit off. Hopefully that will be sufficient and I won't have to pay.

I read a bunch of studies where it's shown they don't help reduce traffic accidents, actually increase rear end accidents and that some cities actually reduce the yellow time on lights that have them to bump up infractions. Totally bananas.

[jrfox92]

I'm so glad they don't exist where I live.
Back in Plano, shit was crazy.
I saw plenty of accidents caused by those cameras.

[waltdogg]

if your face is blurred, if any part of the photo is doctored, for anonymity of the passengers, etc. fight it. as evidence it is inadmissible because it has been edited/altered in some way the court can’t use it against you. and then you say it wasn’t you driving.

[TraceItalian]

Blew a tire on the way home, about midnight-1 am, over corrected, went and jumped, pretty much totaled my car. All I got is a lot of soreness luckily. The cop comes by the bar I work at sometimes so he knew I hadn't been drinking (which was lucky, I got smacked pretty hard so I probably would have failed the field sobriety test). Now I'm trying to decide between a car dealer friend of mine trying to sell me a new chevy spark and an ugly as sin 1969 valiant with 130k miles on it.

[Achtane]

I want to say Valiant.
But reasonable me says Spark...

[Chankgeez]

Valiant.

[codetocontra]

At least your okay. Valiant would be rad if it is in good shape. Equal price between the two?

[TraceItalian]

At least your okay. Valiant would be rad if it is in good shape. Equal price between the two?

Doctor friend was surprised I was even walking around with (apparently) how much I got bashed. Spark would be 10k on a payment plan, Valiant would be $2,200. I got another car dealer friend willing to drop a grand on a 2004 volvo, though I'll have to leave my amp with him as collateral until I can pay the remainder, but it's cheaper, keeps me from getting into a car payment, and won't require a lot of work to convert it to normal people driving standards.

[gnomethrone]

Get the volvo, dude

[BetterOffShred]

Get the volvo, dude

There is appeal to the Valiant because its old and shit, but .. it's old and shit. It's going to be a money pit.

[TraceItalian]

I ended up with a 2000 Corolla, 150k miles, struts need some work but he's done maintained the engine well. I got the guy down from 3,500 to 1,800, so I'm satisfied with a car to get to and from work with.